This pen drive claims up to 32MB/s read and 18MB/s write and 256bit built-in encryption. In this review we see how well its performance stands up in real life use, the ease of using its encryption feature and whether the encryption requires elevated (administrator) access.

This pen drive claims up to 32MB/s read and 18MB/s write and 256bit built-in encryption. In this review we see how well its performance stands up in real life use, the ease of using its encryption feature and whether the encryption requires elevated (administrator) access.

Transcend JetFlash 620 64GB pen drive review

Transcend has kindly given us a lend of its
JetFlash 620 64GB secure USB pen drive for review, featuring a throughput of up
to 32MB/s read and 18MB/s write and a Private Zone which is a password
protected hidden volume using 256-bit AES encryption.

USB pen drives have come on a long way
since the very first pen drives that held just 64MB of data. Before the pen
drive, the only way to carry a large quantity of data was with a removable
media drive, such as Zip Disk and recordable CD/DVD. USB pen drives have the
huge advantage in that they work on pretty much any PC with a USB port, are
more rugged than removable disks and some are small enough to fit on a
keychain.

In this review, we will take a look at the
performance, how it handles with various file systems such as exFAT and NTFS,
its encryption software and how well its Private Zone performs.

Transcend Company Information

The company was founded in 1988 with its
headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan and claim to be the first memory module
manufacturer in Taiwan and also the second in the world to receive ISO 9001
certification. Their products are marketed around the world, serving all the
major markets.

Further information on the Transcend
Company Profile can be found on
their website.

Retail packaging

The Transcend JetFlash pen drive came in retail
packaging, as shown in the following images:

Front / Back

What’s inside the package?

The following shows what the pen drive came
with.

The package consists of the following:

Transcend JetFlash Ultra Speed 620 64GB
pen drive

Card with warranty & password
security usage info

Flyer showing Transcend's range of pen
drive products

Flyer showing Transcend's media player
products

The pen drive is simply plug & play, so
nothing other than the pen drive is required to get started. The security
software is preloaded on the pen drive itself.

Now, let’s take a look at the drive itself:

Front

Reverse side

Cap removed

The pen drive itself is very compact and is
slightly wider and about the same thickness as a USB ‘A’ plug, so should easily
fit in USB ports that have limited space.

Operation mode indication

Like most pen drives, this one has an LED
that serves to indicate power and activity. When powered up, it flashes blue to
indicate activity and remains solidly lit when idle.

The following image shows it lit while
plugged in my Netbook:

Product Specifications

The following are the specifications, as
provided on the Transcend website:

Storage Capacity: 64GB (1GB = 1 billion
bytes)

Data Retention: 10 years

Erase Cycles: >10,000 times

Connector Durability: 10,000 times

System Performance: Read: 32MB/sec
(max.), Write: 18MB/sec (max.)

Wear-levelling: Dynamic

Power Supply: DC 5V±10%, Max current:
200 mA

Temperature Range: Operation: 0-70°C,
Non-Operating: -20°C-75°C

Certificates: CE, FCC, BSMI

Features:

Compact, streamlined design

Includes JetFlash SecureDrive data
protection software

Downloadable JetFlash Elite data
management tool

Fully compatible with hi-speed USB 2.0

Easy plug and play installation

USB powered. No external power or battery
needed

LED indicates the usage status

Limited Lifetime Warranty*

* Warranty requires online registration to
activate

Additional specifications on the
packaging:

Dimensions: 60.9 x 19.3 x 8.5 mm

Weight: 8.5g

Certificates: FCC, CE, BSMI, C-Tick, KCC

System Requirements:

Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000/ME

Mac OS 9.0 or later, Linux Kernel 2.4.2
or later

JetFlash Elite only works in Windows

SecureDrive:

Built-in 256bit AES encrypted password
security

Requires Windows, not Mac or Linux
compatible

Requires Administrator rights

For a pen drive, Transcend clearly makes
sure every little specification and detail about it is revealed!

Now let’s head to the next page where we
will look at our test PC and testing procedures…